Apple gives Palm the boot - again
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Apple has again kicked the Palm Pre off iTunes.
Cupertino's latest update of its music management and online-sales app, iTunes 9, disables the Pre's ability to sync its music player with Apple's app.
It's déjà vu all over again.
Palm's sync-poaching has been an ongoing pushmi-pullyu contretemps since it was first revealed back in May that the Pre would sync with iTunes.
And when Palm's bet-the-farm smartphone was released, it did just that - as we discovered when we reviewed it in July. It mimicked the iPod so successfully that an iPod image even appeared in the iTunes Summary pane.
But then in mid-July, Apple release an iTunes update that disabled that capability. At that time an Apple spokesperson told The Reg that the update, iTunes 8.2.1, "disables devices falsely pretending to be iPods, including the Palm Pre."
But Palm was not deterred. Just 10 days later it updated the Pre's webOS to version 1.1.0, which the company said: “Resolves an issue preventing media sync from working with latest version of iTunes (8.2.1)."
Then in August, Palm filed a complaint with the USB Implementers Forum, charging that Apple was improperly manipulating the USB Vendor ID number, "in effect turning the USB Vendor ID number into a lockout code," as stated in a letter (PDF) to the USB-IF obtained by The New York Times.
As one market-researcher told the NYT at that time: "This is a classic technology cat-and-mouse game. It often comes down to which side tires first."
Apple is not tiring. Today, as reported by the Wall Street Journal's D|All Things Digital blog, Apple has again prevented the Pre from accessing iTunes in that app's latest release, iTunes 9.
Sigh...
Now the ball is in Palm's court. Again. We're betting that it will find a way to circumvent Apple's lockout once again, at least by the time it releases the Pre's little sister, the Pixi, in late November.
And the game will go on. ®
COMMENTS
Ouch - I got attacked - why?
Hi again,
2 posters here attacked me/my comments - but I'm not sure why.
Simon Banyard started with:
"You'd rather have a brick with limited functionality?"
What an odd thing to say!
i don't understand why *anybody* would want that - and I don't understand what makes you think I'd like that.
My main concern is not losing my freedom to use my content/data and my computers/devices. i don't want to be restricted by a big company (and their media/content partners) - that's all :-)
Then you say:
"Why do you geeks think that pretty = bad and easy to use and intuitive = crap?"
Was that aimed at me?
You missed my point - or maybe i didn't make it clear.
My point is that I "DON'T UNDERSTAND" how people (who do or *should* know better) seem so willing to trade "FREEDOM" (of choice, to use their equipment, tools, data/content) for "shinyness" (lovely gadgets, easy to use pretty software).
I understand that they do (friends, colleagues, relatives of mine are in that group) - and I absolutely RESPECT their right to make that choice... however I don't UNDERSTAND the choice.
So - at no point have I intended to make a (clearly daft) statement like:
"...think that pretty = bad and easy to use and intuitive = crap?"
OK Simon? - apologies if I misled you :-)
Somebody else - who likes to post as Anonymous Coward said (to me):
"Try actually reading my comment properly. I explained that Apple are NOT blocking access to the iTunes library and I explained why."
Which is odd... as I never contradicted that in either of my posts here... and I even sort of agreed as I previously said:
"Why promote iTunes at all - why not promote an alternative?
Leave the Apple lovers to their iTunes store and restrictive iTunes app - they seem to like it and appear to believe it's good value.
Why not partner with someone else (music stores/services) and offer something different (better in some ways)?
Why not adopt (and adapt/improve?) and promote an open source music app?"
So Mr AC - what is it that has upset you?
My response to your post was to say that for me... the issue (Apple/Palm not playing nice) is daft and the WRONG ISSUE. We should be asking why Palm isn't prepared to put some effort into an alternative:
Me via avoiding iTunes
You via utilising iTunes XML stuff
Actually - aren't we (sort of) in agreement?
Happy Days!
DoubleTwist
... has a better UI and moves files between multiple devices - and syncs with pretty much everything, including iPods/Phones. Its free.
Still pissed off
Michael C: "they're just not required by law to make it easy, nor do it at their own expense."
If you followed, in this case, it is at their own expense that Apple is making it harder.
It is difficult enough to get computers to do what you want already,
without having companies stopping them ON PURPOSE from working.
I dream of a world where companies try to make it easier for the customers...
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